Venice has often been used as the dramatic backdrop for movies. Probably the most atmospheric of these is Death in Venice. As Dirk Bogarde arrives he seems totally enchanted by the scene unfolding around him. Of course, most of the movie is lived out at Venice Lido or in the grand rooms of Hotel Des Bains and is played in the role of the tourist.

Brideshead Revisited allows us a glimpse into the private lives of those who live behind the imposing facades of the mansions overlooking the Grand Canal. These residences are from another world - exquisitely ornate and untouched by modernity for centuries, hiding lushly overgrown courtyards and terraces - unseen by the outside eye.